PODCAST: Media in the post-truth era

The victory of Donald Trump in the US Federal Election is often cited as evidence of the rise of post-truth. Photo: Matt A.J. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/cornstalker/)

In an age where voters seem to value feelings over facts, what’s the way forward for news media companies and how should they make editorial decisions.

The idea of ‘post-truth’ has become fashionable following the surprise results of the US Election and Brexit, and the Oxford Dictionary’s decision to name it the 2016 word of the year.

We discuss what implications post-truth has for journalists and editors, what the media should do in the wake of criticism about coverage of the US election and whether truth really is on the decline in this episode of Press Play.

Featured in this episode is:

Darren Goodsir, editor-in-chief of The Sydney Morning Herald

Peter Fray, head of journalism at University of Technology, Sydney and founder of Politifact Australia

Alexios Mantzaris, director of the International Fact Checking Network at the Poytner Institute